Another Day
by Arigatomina
Summary: Yaoi, shonen ai, KamioShinji. Kamio and Shinji's relationship becomes complicated when Tachibana inadvertently pushes Shinji into expressing his feelings for his best friend.
1. Tachibana reflecting, Shinji griping

Why am I writing this? Because I can't find any more Kamio-Shinji fics...! I've searched and searched, but I can't find any I haven't read. It's so horrendously depressing I can't _stand_ it. Why don't people love this pairing? Shinji is adorable and Kamio is just downright fun. Not to mention they're hot as hell and are almost always together in the anime. They should have a pair name, like golden pair and dirty pair, and heck, they even have a special name for the Fuji-Eiji pair. It's just not right.

_Age Discreption: _I'm taking them to be as old as they look, in which case the Fudomine team as freshmen were 12-14, Juniors 14-16, and Seniors 16-18.

**_Notes:_** This fic is episodic. It starts shortly after Tachibana transfers to Fudomine and follows the series in a jumping manner, so watch out for vague spoilers that might be dropped here and there. All background information on Shinji and Kamio's families and childhoods will be made up by me since I haven't found anything official in the anime or the manga volumes I've read so far.

**Plot Summary:** Kamio and Shinji have an unusual friendship that becomes even more complicated when Tachibana inadvertently pushes Shinji into expressing a different sort of interest in his best friend.

_Warning:_ rambling, shonen ai, reference to violence  
_Pairings:_ **Shinji / Kamio**, one-sided Tachibana-Shinji  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**Another Day**

_Part 1: Wherein Tachibana reflects on Shinji, and Shinji gripes about Kamio._

Tachibana Kippei remembered the day he'd first suspected the two would end up being closer than mere teammates. At the time, he'd thought they would be good friends, possibly doubles partners, or perhaps rivals if the chemistry drove them in the opposite direction. While he hadn't known what would eventually happen, he'd seen something there.

He'd stopped by the local tennis court after a particularly nasty encounter with the soon-to-be-replaced regular team. As he reached the top of the cement steps that led from the street to the court, Kamio Akira had passed him, pelting in the other direction. Hands clenched, shoulders slightly hunched, and head ducked so that his blood red hair hid his eyes, Kamio didn't even glance up to see who he'd nearly run over. Tachibana turned in surprise and watched until the underclassman disappeared from sight, flying down the steps and around the corner at a furious pace that increased with every step. He stared after the figure, once again marveling at the boy's natural speed. Then he finished climbing the steps and found Shinji standing a few feet from the empty court.

The first thing that struck him was the silence, no sound at all save for the rhythmic slapping of the tennis ball Shinji was bouncing on the narrow rim of his racket. Tachibana had learned that silence was to be avoided where Ibu Shinji was concerned. It was a sign that he'd blocked himself from the world around him, a state he'd stay in for days if nothing interested him enough to draw him out. Aside from the racket in his right hand, Shinji was a statue, dark blue eyes unfocused and distant, straight bluish black hair a bit tangled from the hazing a few hours before, and complicated by whatever practice he'd been doing since then. A fresh bruise tinted his left cheek, the only injury he'd sustained during their latest encounter with the regulars.

Tachibana approached him and put a slow hand on his shoulder. He'd expected the teen to jump, or at least gasp in surprise. Shinji merely blinked owlishly and looked at him from the corner of his eye, the ball still bouncing reflexively for a long minute before he caught it and turned.

"Tachibana-san," Shinji murmured, his voice so monotone he could have been remarking on the weather. "You came to practice? I can play with you, if you want."

Tachibana opened his mouth to respond, but the boy continued to speak, his voice softening as if he didn't expect to be heard. He'd known Shinji long enough to understand and accept this unusual habit. It wasn't that Shinji didn't expect to be heard, so much as that he didn't expect anyone to actually _listen_. Most of the time no one did. Shinji's soft monotone had a way of droning into the background.

_"Though...if he wanted to play with me,"_ Shinji muttered quietly, staring askance at Tachibana with a pronounced frown, _"he would have asked me earlier. Maybe he wants the court. But I'm not on the court, so there's no reason he'd need to speak to me if that's all he wants. He better not be looking for Kamio. As badly as he played with me, he can't play Tachibana-san right now. Tachibana-san doesn't look hurt, so they'd need a handicap and Kamio wouldn't go for that. He'd blow up again and I don't like it when he yells. I didn't do anything wrong, so he shouldn't yell at me. But Tachibana-san really recovers fast. I'm jealous. He probably hides the pain on purpose to make him look better than me. Kamio does that, too, so that's probably it... _

"_I don't see why they do that, though. It's nothing to brag about. I don't get hit as much because I don't talk to people who yell at me. I don't like the taunts, but if I can't hit back, why should I bother talking? If they want to make me look bad, they should brag about how the regulars get angry when they talk back. Kamio doesn't even have to talk to get a reaction, any more. I don't see how he can glare so loudly. A person shouldn't be able to glare loudly since glares don't have sounds. But he's really stupid. If he keeps getting hit, he won't be able to play tennis. I don't think being a martyr is something to brag about. I'm smarter than they are. I won't start a fight if I'm not allowed to hit back. But I can't just watch my friends get picked on, either. I don't see why Tachibana-san won't let us-"_

"Shinji," Tachibana interrupted smoothly, waiting till those dark eyes blinked before continuing. "I have a plan to deal with the team. It won't be long now, you have my word. If we fight back, it's a fight. So long as we're not the aggressors, they're in the wrong. We've talked about this before."

"I know," Shinji said, followed by a muttered, _"Why is he saying that again? Does he think I forgot what he's been saying for weeks? I'm not stupid. He can say it all he wants and I still won't agree with him. I don't see why he repeats it when he knows I'll do whatever he tells me to, since we all respect him more than anyone. It's not like I'd let someone hit me otherwise. He probably thinks I won't listen to him if he doesn't tell me constantly. He's a good captain, so I'll listen even if he only tells me once. But he can't believe that. If he could, he wouldn't keep repeating himself. I hate that. Why do people repeat things like I can't hear them? Although, if my captain is doing it too, it must be me, not them. I still don't like it."_

Tachibana winced a little at his teammate's diatribe. It was difficult to listen to someone spill his every thought without the slightest concern that he'd be overheard. He'd come to suspect Shinji actually _wanted_ to be heard, considering most of the things he said were directly related to whomever he happened to be with. Looking at it that way, Shinji was one of the most open and honest people he'd ever known. He was also one of the more bitter and suspicious people he'd met.

"Would you play a set with me?" asked Tachibana, once Shinji had trailed into silence. "My shoulder's tense from that fall. I want to see how much it limits me so I'll know whether or not to participate in practice tomorrow."

Shinji's eyes widened in surprise. He nodded with a serious expression and turned immediately for the side of the court nearest him.

Tachibana smiled at his back and moved over to face off across the net. Whether Shinji was surprised at the request or at the admission of an injury - two things he'd been complaining about - Tachibana couldn't tell. Since joining the club, he'd noticed that no one ever responded to the things Shinji muttered. The other freshmen stared until the muttering trailed off, exchanged winces and tried to ignore him, or simply distracted him from whatever he was going on about. Once Shinji started a game, he ceased giving away his thoughts in a vocal manner.

"I'm not your captain," Tachibana remarked conversationally. "Even if all of us made our own team, there's nothing to say I'd be the captain."

"You will be," said Shinji, his tone both careless and convinced. "You already are. Service game?"

"Ah," Tachibana nodded. "Just a light practice. Don't do any of your targeting on my right arm, all right? I don't want the muscles to lock up."

"Hai."

Tachibana started the match with a light serve, just powerful enough to make the muscles in his shoulder twinge. He was relieved to see Shinji return the easy shot with an equally easy swing. While he did trust his teammate, he knew Shinji was a lot more competitive on the court than he appeared to be. He was also right about the regulars in their tennis club. Things couldn't go on like they were, or one of the freshmen would end up seriously injured.

What had started as ritual hazing of freshmen members was rapidly progressing toward outright abuse. Shinji wasn't the only one angry at having to stand down to players who were far beneath him in skill. Ishida had already warned him he wouldn't pull his punches much longer, and Kamio, as Shinji had noted, was getting more aggressive with each passing day. If anything, his advice for the freshmen to 'stand down' was pushing them to incite the regulars even more. He hadn't transferred to Fudomine to witness that sort of behavior. And he wasn't going to let a potentially great team be kept down by their own school. What they needed was their own team.

"I quit," said Shinji.

Tachibana jerked upright in time to see the ball he'd served bouncing freely on the other side of the net. Shinji was already walking off the court with his head down and a scowl on his face. His mumbling was barely audible.

_"...shouldn't encourage them. I don't like masochists and flashy martyrs. It's not the same, though...not Tachibana-san. He can take care of himself. But I was easy on Kamio, so I should be the same with my senpai. After all, if he strained too much it would be my fault. Then everyone would blame me and I'd probably have to quit the club. I bet they do it on purpose, both of them. Making me look like the bad guy for not helping them hurt themselves...and if I did help, I'd still be the bad guy for encouraging them. I didn't think Tachibana-san would do that, though, not on purpose. Maybe he didn't notice his arm was shaking. He's not hot-headed and stubborn...Tachibana-san is smarter than Kamio._

"_Kamio's an idiot. I don't know why I like practicing with him. I shouldn't, not when he makes me look bad. And he definitely does it on purpose, yelling at me for not playing any more with him, when he could barely even hold his racket with that bandage on his hand. Where does he get off yelling at me, anyway? He never even talked to me last year, and now he acts like I'm a bad friend. I don't even remember becoming friends. Just because he doesn't laugh at me anymore, doesn't mean we're friends now. You don't have to be friends to be teammates. Ishida's always talking like I can't hear him, but that doesn't stop him from asking me to play him. I may like playing Kamio better, but that doesn't mean we're better friends. Besides that, friends don't hurt each other, so even if we were friends, that wouldn't make him right. He'd still be stupid and wrong, being an idiot and then getting in my face like that. When did he get taller than me, anyway? That's just not fair. Even if it's only a few centimeters, I shouldn't have to look up to him..."_

The boy crossed to where he'd left his bag near the edge of the court. Not once did he glance back to see Tachibana's expression. If he had, he might have been surprised by the smile on his future captain's face.

"Shinji," Tachibana called, "thanks for practicing with me."

Shinji turned slowly, his eyes narrow and suspicious. "You're not mad that I quit?"

Tachibana crossed over to his teammate with a serious expression on his face. "Not really. It surprised me how quickly you stopped, but this was only a practice match. I take it Kamio didn't appreciate having you quit on him? I saw him running out of here when I came up. It's good that you didn't let him push himself."

"He was mad because it was just a scrape," Shinji admitted, scowling a little as he shouldered his bag. "Maybe if he'd taken off the bandage he could have played better, but even a little scrape can get infected. I told him to go home and wash it right. That just made him yell louder."

They were headed toward the steps that led down to the street. Shinji sent a sidelong look at Tachibana, a hint of resentment creeping into his eyes.

"I know you don't want us to fight back," said Shinji, "but it's making Kamio frustrated. The next time he gets so close to me, yelling like that, I'm going to hit him. I don't think he cares who he fights with, as long as it's a real fight."

Tachibana stopped in surprise. He could see Kamio picking a fight with anyone who annoyed him. But the idea of Shinji throwing the first punch in a conflict was just…laughable. The boy could hold a grudge better than anyone he'd ever met, but even that was more an undercurrent of resentment, rather than outright anger. Everything about Shinji was subdued, never brash or reckless. That was one of the things Tachibana liked about him.

"I'll talk to him," said Tachibana. "We're all getting frustrated, but we can't take that out on each other. Inciting the regulars won't solve anything at this point."

Shinji gave him a bored, almost droll look. "You're going to tell him to channel it into his game, like you did with Ishida. Kamio already does that. That's why he blew up when he had to stop playing."

"I see," Tachibana smirked. "In that case, you give me your word you won't go hitting any of our teammates, and I'll get Kamio to stop yelling so much. I really doubt giving him the fight he wants will settle his temper."

"Not if he's fighting me," Shinji muttered, looking away. "I'd crush him."

It was difficult not to laugh at how that threat was given with such confidence. Shinji didn't have Ishida's physical strength or Kamio's speed, and while his intelligence was undisputed, that wouldn't help in a fist fight. But just like he was on the court, Shinji had full confidence in himself no matter who he was up against.

"Ah," Tachibana breathed, giving as close as he could to a sober nod. "In the meantime, do you want me to walk you home?"

Shinji glanced back over his shoulder, a frown drawing his eyebrows together. "I'm fine. I didn't even get knocked down. You should get your shoulder checked. You're too important to take chances."

Tachibana couldn't determine the context of that statement, and he didn't want to jump to conclusions. He'd been drawn to the quiet player, who he suspected might be a genuine tensai, but he hadn't seen any hint that Shinji returned the interest. Something on his face must have caught the boy's attention, because Shinji blinked and looked away, his frown darkening into a scowl.

"I wasn't supposed to say anything," Shinji muttered quietly. He shrugged after a moment and glanced back. "I guess it doesn't matter. Most of us recognized you from your early games. I don't know why you'd want to start over at Fudomine, but it would be too stupid if you couldn't play anymore, just because of a bunch of regulars who can't tell a topspin from a slice."

"Ah," Tachibana sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

He wasn't sure how to react to the freshmen knowing his past. None of the regulars had recognized him, so he'd assumed the school was small and poor enough that he would have complete anonymity. After a moment of thought, he decided he didn't particularly care. Them knowing his past didn't change anything. He still had to find a way to get them out from under the current team, without losing any of them in the process. However amusing it was to imagine Kamio and Shinji fighting each other, he knew one would drop out of the tennis club by the time it was finished. They'd need every player they had if they were going to start their own team. And that meant he had a certain volatile redhead to track down.

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_

_Next part, Kamio reflects on Shinji and how they met._


	2. Kamio, tennis, weirdness, and Shinji

_Category:_ Anime, Prince of Tennis, TWT, Yaoi  
_Warnings:_ shonen ai  
_Pairings:_ Kamio-Shinji, reference to Ishida-Shinji  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email: _arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com

**Another Day**

_Part 2: Kamio, tennis, weirdness, and Shinji_

Kamio had never considered himself a secretive person. He wasn't like Ishida, with his compulsive bird-watching hobby that he'd hidden for two years until Sakurai discovered it and spread the gossip to all his friends. Sure, he liked to keep his friends away when his cousins were visiting, or when his little sister had her giggling troop stay the night. But aside from rare occasions like that, he'd never thought twice about having a friend over to his house. He was honestly surprised at how much he was thrown by having Shinji ask him where he lived.

He'd never realized the boy didn't know, and that was just…weird. Weird, like the fact that he didn't know where Shinji lived, either. He was fairly sure none of the guys did, but he thought he at least should have known. They'd been practicing at the street court for months and it had never occurred to him to wonder which direction Shinji went after he left. He was always the first to leave since he liked to run for an hour or two before going home. And Shinji always seemed so distracted he was lucky to get an absentminded nod when he headed off.

And now that he thought about it, that was weird, too. What did he have to be so preoccupied with _after_ they were done practicing? Shinji was constantly distracted, but he could be counted on to wake up and pay attention if tennis was involved. Kamio knew the boy could drone on for hours about a match, no matter how mundane it had been. So why, when it was just them, did he drift off the second they were done practicing? And why hadn't he noticed it? Better yet, what did it matter? He was used to Shinji being weird.

Like insisting on helping him home, just because he'd gotten a little roughed up. Where had _that_ come from? The last he'd heard, Shinji was mad at him about that stupid fight they'd had. And he'd had the nerve to tattle on him to Tachibana, which was just plain embarrassing because Kamio hadn't thought it was that big a deal.

He'd spent the last week on his best behavior to show his senpai he wasn't some obnoxious kid who couldn't keep from blowing up every time someone annoyed him. Then there was the source of his troubles, popping up at the court when they definitely hadn't made plans to meet, and finding him like that. Did Shinji think he'd come to his rescue or something? They hadn't even been members of their tennis club, just some idiots looking for easy cash. He'd held his own just fine. He didn't need Shinji acting all weird and-

"…it's a simple question," Shinji muttered. "If you don't want to tell me, just say so. I'll take you to Tachibana-san's house instead and he can walk you home."

They'd been standing at the edge of the street court for nearly ten minutes. Kamio had been fuming for just as long, surprising Shinji with the lack of yelling. He hadn't decided what made the redhead so mad, but he thought it might have been how quickly the thugs had run off at the thought of a two-on-two fight. He probably shouldn't have interrupted when Kamio was finally getting to take his frustration out on someone who wouldn't get him thrown out of the tennis club. But Shinji had already apologized for that. He didn't see any reason for Kamio to be so stubborn about having someone walk him home. The two thugs hadn't been much by themselves, but guys like that were dirty. They were the type who'd come back later with friends and it was already getting dark. It was just common sense to be careful.

All he could think was that Kamio really didn't want him to know where he lived. That was understandable, but it wasn't as if he'd planned to go in or anything. He just wanted to make sure Kamio got there without being ambushed. He'd have done the same thing for anyone else on the tennis club, excluding the regulars, of course.

"You're really stubborn," said Shinji, a vague frown pulling at his face. "I'm going to follow you either way. If you don't want me involved, you can go to a store first and call someone else to walk you, instead. As long as it's Ishida or Sakurai, it should be fine."

Kamio gritted his teeth and did his best to mutilate the strap of his tennis bag – the closest non-living thing in reach of his hand. He had promised himself he wouldn't act immature anymore. One lecture from Tachibana about how much the team relied on him had brought out a swell of determination in him. He'd really considered himself the leader of their little group before their captain transferred to their school, and he wanted to hold onto at least some part of that responsibility. But Shinji was so…_irritating_.

He couldn't even argue with him. No matter how loud he got, Shinji just kept that same bored tone, like he wasn't even interested enough to raise his voice. And that made no sense at all considering Shinji was the one who usually started it. How was he supposed to argue with someone so stubborn when the guy just gave him that bland stare? And Shinji thought _he_ was stubborn! It was like trying to argue with a statue, only statues weren't nearly as annoying. And he'd promised Tachibana he wouldn't yell at his teammates, so he couldn't even-

"Wait," Kamio said sharply, his eyes narrowing. "You know where Tachibana-san lives? How can you know where he lives and you don't even know where _I_ live? We've been going to the same school for three _years. _He just transferred here!"

"He told me," said Shinji. "Just because you don't want to practice with me anymore, doesn't mean no one does. We played doubles with Uchimura and Mori last night. They're pretty good. But I don't think Tachibana-san is used to playing doubles. That or I'm not good enough to play with him. He hogged the entire court…"

Kamio couldn't help but smile at Shinji's disgruntled expression. He couldn't really picture Tachibana playing doubles, but he couldn't picture Shinji playing doubles, either. They were like him, singles players who were used to owning the court.

"So you just...stood there?" asked Kamio.

"For a while," Shinji muttered crossly. "Then I left. I didn't think Tachibana-san would notice, but he did look at me funny at school today. I was going to see if he was here and apologize or something. Not that I did anything wrong. I wasn't even playing. I didn't think you'd be here, though. You haven't come by all week."

"Yeah, well, I didn't know Tachibana-san was having matches here," Kamio frowned. "And the last time I came by, you wouldn't even practice with me."

"You were hurt."

"Right," Kamio said quickly, with a tight smile. "Let's not get into that again, okay? You still planning to walk me home?"

Shinji nodded, his frown fading back into that sober 'don't-argue-with-me' statue look of his. Kamio sighed and shouldered his bag.

"Let's go, then. But I still don't see the point."

"It's safer with two people," said Shinji.

If there was any hint of satisfaction in his tone, Kamio couldn't make it out. That was another reason it was irritating to argue with Shinji – the boy wouldn't even gloat when he got his way. He'd seen him smirk enough on the court to know he was capable of looking smug during a game. It was like Shinji didn't see getting his way in an argument with him as a major accomplishment. That was sort of insulting.

"Just so you know," said Kamio, "it's not like I care if you know where I live. I just don't need anyone walking me home. That's stupid."

Shinji nodded. "You were stronger than those guys. But if they got help, two is safer than one. It's just practical to be careful."

Kamio resisted the urge to pick up his pace and fell in step beside Shinji instead. As long as the boy was acknowledging the fact that he could handle two incompetent thieves, he could accept the 'escort home' as more of a friendly precaution than anything.

"So," Kamio muttered, more tired than cross. "What made you think I didn't want to practice with you anymore?"

Shinji looked at him without turning his head. His expression was slightly suspicious, but his tone came out bored. "You weren't at the court Tuesday. Mori said you were practicing with Sakurai instead. Ishida was really smug about it, too."

He looked forward again and scowled, his voice dropping. _"I don't see why he was so smug, bragging like that. And acting like he didn't think I'd hear him, when I was right there. Did he think I'd be jealous or something? I was annoyed that I had to hear it from Mori, but it's not like I was surprised. Ishida acts like I don't exist, so he was probably mad Tachibana-san offered to practice with me. I bet he was hoping Tachibana-san would ask him instead."_

Shinji sniffed and scowled a little darker, his gaze dimly focused on the sidewalk in front of him. Kamio couldn't help but stare at the boy's profile with a disgruntled and exasperated expression. That was yet another thing that made Shinji so weird. How could anyone notice so much - while seeming completely oblivious of his surroundings - and misinterpret half the information until he really was as oblivious as he appeared to be?

It had started as a joke, a rumor Sakurai created and spread a few days after they joined the tennis club. He'd done it to get back at Ishida for some prank his friend had pulled on him the week before. No one had expected Ishida to get as angry as he had, especially not Sakurai, who never would have said a word if he'd known there was any truth behind the rumor. Within the space of a day, they'd all heard about Ishida's crush on Shinji, all of them except Shinji, since no one had thought to pass the rumor on to him. The short-lived fiasco only lasted a few days, but it left Sakurai with a vividly bruised jaw and a guilty conscience, and Ishida with a chip on his shoulder and a determination to prove Shinji wasn't significant enough to merit so much as a glance from him.

Kamio was convinced the crush had died a mutilated and painful death, but the resentment lingered in its place. So Shinji was right about Ishida acting like he didn't exist when he was around the rest of them, but he was oblivious as to the reason. He was also borderline correct about Tachibana.

It was clear to most of them that Ishida had a serious case of hero-worship for their senpai. As jealous as Kamio was to know Tachibana had been practicing with the others - and he hadn't been told, let alone invited to join - he could bet Ishida was twice as mad. They'd been going to school together for years, so Kamio knew when Ishida fell for someone it was fast and hard. And possessive. He was very relieved to know his own feelings for Tachibana were steadfast respect and an urge to gain acknowledgment from someone he saw to be the perfect role model leader. He had charisma, patience, confidence, skill-

Kamio snapped out of his thoughts long enough to catch Shinji's arm and pull him to the left. "It's two more blocks down, on the corner."

"Across from the park," Shinji murmured thoughtfully. "I thought I'd seen you there a lot. That explains it."

Kamio shot him a disgruntled frown. "You've seen me? Why didn't you say something?"

"You had your headphones on," said Shinji.

"I usually do," Kamio shrugged. "Next time tap me on the shoulder or wave, or something. I only go over there when I'm bored."

Shinji gave a noncommittal _'mm'_ sound and looked at him. "Are you mad that I told Tachibana-san about us arguing? Mori said you got lectured."

"Mori talks to much," Kamio fumed. "I still can't believe you _tattled_ on me. I swear, I've never been so embarrassed."

Shinji stopped walking and turned to give him a funny look. "I didn't tattle. I've never tattled on anyone. It's no one's business. Tachibana-san saw you running off and asked about it. He was watching out for the team and didn't want us fighting. I didn't want us fighting, either. That's why he talked to you, so you wouldn't have to talk to me."

"We weren't _fighting_," Kamio scoffed. "We had an argument. But that explains why he kept on about my temper and not _'taking it out on the team.'_ You probably made it sound like we were trying to maim each other. It was so embarrassing, I felt like I was six years old. You overreact too much, Shinji. Seriously. We argued. It's not a big deal."

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "No? You avoided me all week."

Kamio gave a dismissive wave and started walking again. After a moment, Shinji followed. Once he was back beside him again, Kamio shrugged.

"_You_ weren't talking to _me_, either," Kamio pointed out.

"Oh."

"Yeah," Kamio smirked, "_oh_. Anyway, it's funny Tachibana-san was playing two on one - that's what I was doing with Ishida and Sakurai. They have a really good combination. We should start playing doubles against them once in a while. There's no way Mori can return Ishida's shot, even with Uchimura on the net. I couldn't keep up with them at all."

"Ishida should play Tachibana-san," Shinji nodded. "I returned his shot the last time we played, but he's getting stronger every time. I keep having to control the ball so he can't use it."

"At least you _can _control it," said Kamio. "That's why I said doubles. You seal that shot, and I'll run them ragged. It'll be fun."

"And good practice," said Shinji.

"Right?" Kamio smirked. "You were saying you couldn't play doubles with Tachibana-san hogging the court, so you can play with me. If Ishida gets mad about you sealing his move, he can practice with Tachibana-san and we'll do singles instead. That would leave Sakurai with Mori and Uchimura, which would probably be good for him. If you ask me, he's getting a little too dependent on Ishida. It's the same thing with Mori."

"Mori was better when they played Tachibana-san," Shinji remarked. "I think he was showing off, though..."

"Well, sure," Kamio grinned. "They were playing Tachibana-san. Who wouldn't show off?"

Shinji tilted his head a little, a small frown pulling at his lips.

Kamio rolled his eyes with a playful smirk. "You don't count, Shinji. You show off every time you play."

"You do, too," Shinji frowned.

"Yeah, but I show off more if it's someone I really want to beat."

Shinji thought about that for a moment in silence. Then he gave a small, but definitely smug smile. "You must really want to beat me, then."

"Only because you're so damned conceited on the court," Kamio said, his grin proving it wasn't an insult. "Gotta bring you down a peg or two."

"It's fun watching you try," Shinji admitted.

"See?" Kamio sighed. "Totally conceited."

It wasn't until later that night that Kamio reflected on how quickly they'd gone from not talking to planning their next practice as if the last week hadn't happened. Talking tennis made it easy to brush aside or sidestep arguments. But it wasn't just tennis. He'd found that any common ground - any safe point of discussion that they were both interested in - made Shinji easy to be around. As long as he wasn't distracted or ill at ease, the mumbling pretty much went away. And still, that sense of weirdness remained.

The moment he noticed how normal Shinji was being, Kamio became aware of his own weirdness. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but somewhere along the way of spending time with Shinji, Kamio had picked up the habit of talking a lot more than he usually did. It was like he instinctively rambled in order to keep Shinji from rambling to himself. That was weird because the only time Kamio normally rambled, that he was aware of, was when he was furious and yelling every angry thought that came into his head. Now that Tachibana wanted him to curb the yelling, he couldn't help worrying that Shinji would rub off on him and he'd start mumbling resentfully instead.

As far as Kamio was concerned, the mumbling was the real problem Shinji had, and it seemed to be getting worse rather than better. It was as if he couldn't meet someone without mumbling within the first five minutes and giving himself away. He'd certainly proved that when Kamio introduced him to his mother. And damned if she hadn't assumed he was mentally challenged because of it.

Kamio rolled over in his bed and thumped his head on his pillow. He'd skipped dinner after Shinji's very short visit, but he couldn't get over how embarrassing it had been.

He'd expected Shinji to mumble, or do something weird. But he'd never have invited him in if he'd known his mom would act so...so _patronizing_...

Shinji had already been uncomfortable about going inside, weirdly so, to the point where Kamio had to grab his arm and tug him to get him through the front door. Then his little sister had cornered them, going on about how pretty Shinji was and how he didn't say much, did he? But she was nine, so she had an excuse. His mom had all but patted Shinji on the head and told him what a sweet little boy he was. And she'd had the nerve to suggest Kamio bring his _'poor shy friend'_ home with him more often. As if. Even if he could look Shinji in the eye long enough to apologize at school tomorrow, he knew the boy would never willingly enter his house again.

He hadn't seen Shinji look so miserable since the day he'd transferred to their school. He'd felt sorry for him back then, just because of that downtrodden expression and how he'd drug his feet when he went to the head of the class to introduce himself. But then he'd given his name and promptly mumbled that he really didn't want to be there, and how he'd leave if he didn't think the teacher would make him come back and lecture him for trying to walk out, and that really it probably wasn't worth the trouble to even attempt it. He'd gotten an appreciative laugh for that, but it wasn't long before people realized the mumbling wasn't done for humor.

He'd made a name for himself during the first week as the weirdo who talked to himself and looked like a little girl. Kamio didn't remember exactly when Shinji stopped being the center of jokes, but it must have happened gradually. Sometime during his first year he'd cut his hair. It had gone from being long enough to braid to being jagged and loose around his shoulders. Kamio remembered that because it had happened right after an exam. The fact that Shinji got the best scores in all his classes had never helped people like him, and that exam had been one of the harder ones.

There were incidents Kamio remembered vividly, but only because he'd been friends with some of the louder boys in his class back then. If he hadn't been friends with Mori, who was just all around nice, he probably would have remembered more about Shinji's move from class pariah to anonymity. As it was, he'd noticed him in a sort of wincing way, feeling sorry for him, but also wishing he were in a different class because, honestly, how hard could it be to just shut up when a teacher was talking? It was one thing to know more about the subjects than the rest of the class, but to correct the teacher, especially in a mumbling way that was just plain rude, was asking for people to notice and mock.

Some time, probably during that first year, the mumbling trickled off. Now that Kamio knew more about him, he suspected it was because Shinji had stopped paying attention to his classes. His grades slipped down enough for the teachers to stop praising him, and without the strikingly long hair he didn't look as much like a girl. With nothing calling attention to him, he just sort of faded off radar. Kamio could have sworn they were in the same classes last year, but he couldn't have said where Shinji had sat. He might have felt guilty about that, but he'd never ignored or snubbed him or anything. It was just that he hadn't _noticed_ him.

Even now, with them in the same club, there were times when Shinji seemed to disappear, particularly when they were picking up balls and being verbally abused by the regulars. When he'd first seen him on the court the day they joined the club, he'd remembered that first impression. He'd actually been shocked to realize Shinji was still at their school. And then the whole mess with Ishida had made most of them avoid speaking directly to Shinji for a while there. By the time they started having their own practices after the club, Shinji's silence seemed normal. Then they started playing him and the mumbling slowly came back.

After talking to someone who shrugged or nodded or stared off into space, the monotone comments and mumbled complaints were a welcome change. Sure, it was weird if he thought about it, _Shinji_ was weird. But that was just the way he was, and at least when he mumbled Kamio knew he was aware of things, participating. Because really, talking to Shinji after practice made him all too aware of his silence during school and the club sessions. A quiet Shinji was unnerving and wrong. And if his mom had driven him off to the point where he went silent when they were playing after school, he didn't know what he'd do.

As weird as Shinji and his mumbling was, he liked him that way. It was almost cute, watching Shinji grumble about this or that, or just life in general. Yes, arguing with Shinji was annoying, and being on the wrong side of a debate with someone even more stubborn than himself was incredibly annoying, and trying not to respond to Shinji's mumbled insults - when he happened to be the subject of one of his monotone rants - was more annoying than anything he could think of. But it was Shinji.

Although he probably wasn't aware of it, he was the most well-liked member of their little group, Tachibana not withstanding. The reason they all addressed him by his first name wasn't because he was simple, like the regulars had assumed, but because it was really hard not to feel familiar with someone who habitually shared his every thought. They did their best not to listen when he mumbled, to not invade his privacy, even when he seemed to be inviting it. But Kamio knew there was only so much a person could pretend not to have heard before he felt as if he'd known Shinji his entire life. Had his mom just waited a while before jumping to conclusions, she'd have seen the same thing.

**.-.  
****TBC**

_Next part, Shinji's disfunctional home life, Kamio deals._


	3. Shinji, awkward gestures of friendship

_Category:_ Anime, Prince of Tennis, TWT, Yaoi  
_Warnings:_ shonen ai  
_Pairings:_ Shinji-Kamio  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email: _arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com

**Another Day**

_Part 3: Shinji, awkward gestures of friendship_

Shinji rarely forgot things, especially animated and troublesome things like people. Anyone who caught his attention long enough to make a first impression was forever branded by his take on the encounter. Before things fell apart, his father had joked to everyone they knew that little Shinji was as forgiving as a jackal with an elephant's memory. Shinji had never quite figured out what he meant by that, but he continued to classify people he met. He sometimes modified the brand, if the person changed significantly over consecutive meetings, but he never stopped associating them with that first impression.

Kamio had lately become that reckless, annoying, guy he liked to play tennis with. That was a siginificant shift because less than a year ago he'd been that popular, rude, redhead too self-conscious to lend him a pencil in math. Mori said he was too quick to hold a grudge over simple things, but Mori forgave anything so his opinion didn't count for much. Shinji liked and listened to him because Mori was the little guy who lent him stuff without checking first to make sure no one was looking. He listened when Mori talked, and while he didn't put much weight on the things he said, he did appreciate how the boy didn't change. He was still just an all-around nice guy.

So when Mori approached him as they were picking up balls after practice, Shinji stopped what he was doing and listened. He watched and waited while the black-haired boy explained how bad Kamio felt about what had happened. He did his best not to drift off during Mori's description of how reluctant Kamio was to approach him and possibly make him more resentful than he already was. He even gave a silent nod when Mori hopefully asked if things were okay, then. It wasn't until the boy left his area that Shinji wondered what Kamio, through Mori, had been apologizing for.

Whatever was bothering Kamio must have been bad, because he spent the next week being particularly nice to him. It made Shinji uncomfortable and suspicious. He liked that Kamio was naturally blunt and abrasive - he never had to wonder if he was plotting against him since Kamio was too confrontational to hide things like that. It wasn't like him to go out of his way to talk to him in school, when everyone knew Shinji didn't talk during classes anymore, or inviting him to eat with the guys during lunch, when anyone with eyes knew Shinji did his homework during lunch instead of eating.

The niceness was even worse after school, when it was just the two of them playing tennis. Kamio actually looked guilty when he got a point, which was so weird Shinji had been forced to confront him.

The main reason he liked playing Kamio was because the boy could hold his own. He loved playing someone just as competitive as he was. And Kamio was just as likely to gripe and scowl and play that much better when challenged. Shinji could put up with the inexplicable niceness during school, but he refused to have it taking the fun out of their practice.

Kamio's reaction to Shinji asking why he was being so weird was as baffling as the niceness. Kamio stared and sputtered for a minute, then he blushed and ran away. After some thought, Shinji decided it was worth the weirdness to see how cute Kamio was when he blushed. It was amusing enough that he stopped wondering what had caused the sudden change in behavior. That was good because almost two weeks passed before he found out, and he could easily have driven himself - and everyone within muttering distance - crazy thinking about it.

After the blow up with the regular team, Kamio took it upon himself to help Shinji home. He'd been very suspicious at first. That niceness had cooled to a tolerable level and Shinji hadn't wanted a relapse. Kamio explained that he was just returning the favor. And he'd laughed and said not to worry about his parents embarrassing him, because nothing they did could be as horrible as what his own mom had done, and that he really was sorry about that, but he was glad Shinji hadn't held a grudge.

Shinji was so surprised that he stopped walking. He immediately connected the strange behavior and second-hand apology to his brief encounter with Kamio's mother. That was the sort of thing he didn't like to think about, so he hadn't. He felt uncomfortable around parents, mothers in particular since they were typically more tactile and enthusiastic. He still blushed when his mother doted on him, even over the phone, and she knew he wasn't as simple and naive as other people assumed he was.

His father said it was good to be jaded and Shinji was inclined to agree with him. His father was jaded. He never talked down to him or praised him for things that came so naturally Shinji took them to be a matter of course. He was blunt and sober and honest and Shinji wished all parents could be that way. He'd been the one to explain why they'd had to move again, and that, yes, it was partly Shinji's fault for being such a burden on his emotionally unstable mother. He'd sat him down and talked to him as if he wasn't nine, talking to his intellect without being fooled by his appearance. He'd explained that between him and his sister, Shinji had the best chance of starting over in Japan.

They'd both agreed that it would be Japan, because Shinji had been wanting to go back since his first children's tournament, when he'd learned that Japanese schools were far more likely to have tennis clubs for the students. And he'd be able to forgo the counseling sessions he hated so much, since without his mother constantly reinforcing his mumbling habit, he'd be able to find his own method of self medicating. It was difficult to bury himself in thought when a mothering woman was cooing over him and praising him as if fixing his own hair was such a major accomplishment it required hours of discussion. He affected her, and she affected him, and so the best solution was to separate them.

She still called often, and visited him as much as possible. And Shinji had learned that it wasn't just her. Something about him brought out a smothering affectionate side in mothers, and some fathers as well. He was wary of being around adults, parents especially, because he still had trouble controlling his habit. He'd been sent to his uncle specifically because he wasn't married, and he wasn't the sort to encourage a habit normal non-parenting people found annoying as hell. Shinji had never figured out what some parents found so cute about his mumbling. Half the time he wasn't even aware he was doing it, but when he caught himself, he stopped. He didn't need drugs or counseling because without a catalyst he could control it himself. Parents like Kamio's mother took that control from him and made him painfully aware of the absence.

He took pains to avoid them, just like he'd stopped paying attention in class to avoid having talks with the more patronizing teachers after school. So, yes, he was resentful that Kamio had drug him inside his home. He hadn't explained why he didn't want to go in, but he thought he'd made it clear how uncomfortable he was with the very idea. Still, he didn't blame Kamio for the way his mother had reacted. She was caring and friendly, just like his own mother was. And so his discomfort had erupted into panic and he'd mumbled, and she'd fawned over him, and he'd wanted nothing more than to be _away_. He didn't mind letting his guard down when he was around people who wouldn't make a fuss, but he hated having his control taken away. It made him feel as if he hadn't accomplished anything in the last few years, which was one more reason he buried himself in tennis so much.

On the court he could control almost everything, and even if he mumbled, it didn't affect his game. It didn't hurt that his skill at tennis was the one thing he and his father agreed not to take for granted. Academics were too easy when he had to make an effort to forget things, so his father knew his grades dropped because Shinji chose to let them. His lack of motivation in school - when he barely had to try to get perfect scores - was one of the few sore spots between them. Shinji refused to explain himself, and his father refused to believe there wasn't some immature reason behind the decision. After a few tense phone calls, Shinji stopped sending his grades, and his father stopped asking about them. Joining the tennis club had made up for that because, for a while there, they hadn't had anything to talk about. He looked forward to telling him the news about the ousted regulars. They were turning in the request to form a new club tomorrow. If all went well, they'd be ready to play other schools by the start of next year.

Shinji was drawn out of his thoughts by a hand prodding his sore shoulder. He blinked dazedly for a moment before focusing on the hand and following it to Kamio's frustrated and worried face.

"Are you _sure_ you didn't hit your head during that fight?" asked Kamio. "You've been staring at the sidewalk for five minutes. You weren't even mumbling..."

"My jaw's sore," Shinji said slowly, rubbing the spot with a vague frown. "Someone hit me there, but I think it might have been Uchimura. He's so short I kept losing sight of him, and it doesn't hurt enough for it to have been anyone really strong. My shoulder hurts more than anything. I'm glad I'm right handed."

"Yeah," Kamio smirked, "Uchimura was great. He looks so sweet and shy hiding under his cap that those guys never saw it coming. I think he's the only one who didn't get hurt once we started fighting back."

"Because he's so short," said Shinji. "They were watching out for Ishida and Tachibana-san. They didn't expect all of us to jump in. You shouldn't have hit so hard, though. You scraped your knuckles."

Kamio waved that off with a smug grin. "It was definitely worth it. I swear, as soon as Tachibana-san jumped the coach there was no way I could hold back. I've been wanting to pound on those guys all year. If my hand's a little sore, that'll just remind me how good it felt."

The redhead was practically glowing, and he was walking backwards again. He'd been doing that since they left school, dancing around Shinji as if he couldn't or wouldn't get off the adrenaline rush. Shinji had found that energy dizzying at first. Now it was sort of cute. Kamio looked as giddy as he had when he'd gotten his portable cd player and announced to anyone who'd listen that he was going to challenge the track club to a race, just to test out his rhythm with music pounding in his ears. The boy had ridden that rush for weeks. Shinji suspected he'd do the same with this, for however long it took his bruised knuckles to heal.

"You surprised me, though," Kamio announced, with an overly serious nod and bright smiling eyes. "When you hit that guy, Tachibana-san looked as shocked as he did. With moves like that, you could join the kendo club. I know you said you knew how to fight, but I didn't think you meant an actual school."

"I used to switch clubs a lot," said Shinji. "It wasn't much good with so many people fighting in close quarters. I'm better with more space."

"Less chance of getting clipped by friendly punches, too," Kamio smirked.

Shinji scowled a little and rubbed at his jaw again. "I bet it _was_ Uchimura. He was looking at me funny when we left. If he realized he'd done it, he should have apologized."

"More likely he was staring because you fought at all," said Kamio. "You really don't seem the aggressive type, you know."

"Neither does Mori," Shinji frowned.

"Yeah, but you're a lot more passive than he is."

Shinji scowled darker at the way Kamio said it as if it were common knowledge. It was like they all thought he enjoyed being taunted, just because he didn't bother to rise to the bait. There wasn't a point if he couldn't fight back. He'd jumped in just as quickly as the rest of them once Tachibana threw that first retaliatory punch. He wasn't any more passive than they were.

"I know," said Kamio. "You just don't come off that way, is all."

Shinji blinked. He was thrown for a moment before he realized Kamio was responding to his own mumbled comments, rather than his thoughts. It was rare that one of the guys responded directly to him, so it always caught him off guard. Kamio must have been distracted. Shinji was fairly sure the others made it a point to ignore his mumbling, so Kamio wouldn't have responded intentionally.

"What are you looking for?" asked Shinji.

"Your house," Kamio said, rolling his eyes. "Didn't you say it was on this block? That's why you stopped, right?"

"It's an apartment. Above the bookstore."

He didn't want to admit that. He'd been happy that none of the guys were curious enough to ask where he lived because he wasn't particularly happy with the shop downstairs. Some of the books were okay, but most of them were a waste of paper. Not to mention the gaggling teenagers who seemed to come from all over the place, like they had nothing better to do than to hang out all night browsing the manga sections. They were loud and annoying, and he hated going home early because they squeeled at him. Why was it girls came by more often than guys, anyway? Didn't they have after school jobs or something? The clientelle had gotten so skewed his uncle was stocking shoujo manga and forsaking the more interesting novels and imports. That wasn't any more fair than his having to sneak in the back way to avoid the loiters.

Kamio was giving him sneaking looks, one hand held over his mouth in a vain attempt to choke back a laugh. Shinji scowled at him and pulled his bag over his shoulder so he could dig in it. He didn't say a word as he pulled out a black hat and pulled it low over his face. If anything, Kamio's choked laughs got louder.

"Shut up," Shinji muttered sullenly. "I haven't come home this early all year. It's not even dark yet."

Kamio gave up any pretense of not laughing, but he did muffle it in his hand. Shinji's eyebrow twitched beneath the bill of his black cap.

"You don't seriously hide from a bunch of girls, do you?" Kamio grinned. "If Sakurai gets wind of this, you'll never hear the end of it."

"Shut up or go home," Shinji glowered. "If they hear you and come out here, I'm telling them where you live. See how well _you_ like having strange girls stake out your house."

"Sounds fun to me," said Kamio. "What guy wouldn't want to be stalked by a bunch of cute girls?"

Shinji smirked suddenly. "Cute? Who said they were cute?"

"Oh..."

Kamio blinked and sent a suddenly wary look at the postered windows of the bookstore. He eased a little closer to Shinji and dropped his voice. "So. Where's this back entrance?"

Shinji snorted and showed him the way. Voices trailed back to them when they stepped in the back door. The room served as storage, replacements and new shipments stacked neatly along the far wall, a staircase directly across from that, and an open doorway giving a glimpse into the bookstore. The only thing visible through the opening was the space behind a wide glass counter, and a middle aged man sitting on a stool with a magazine opened in front of him. Despite the noise, he looked over when they entered.

He didn't look anything like Shinji since he was his father's brother. He had graying brown hair, dark eyes, and a notable belly hanging over his belt. His brows quirked and he got up to stand in the doorway where he could see them better.

"Who's this?" he asked, sending an appraising look over Kamio.

Shinji shrugged. "He goes to school with me."

The man raised an eyebrow and muttered, "That's a first. Early, too." Then he went back to his stool. Kamio blinked.

"Come on," Shinji said quietly, tugging the redhead's sleeve. "That's my uncle. He's working. You're already inside. Might as well come up."

Everything was dark upstairs. Shinji left it that way. He kept a hold on Kamio's coat sleeve and bypassed the light switches. There was a good chance his uncle's girlfriend was napping on the couch. She worked odd shifts and he knew by experience that waking her, if she'd just dozed off, was unpleasant at best. Besides that, she'd probably make a fuss over his bringing a friend home with him, and he didn't really want to listen to that.

He closed them in his room before turning on the overhead light. Kamio squinted, and Shinji shrugged in response to his questioning look.

"Nara-san, my uncle's girlfriend, crashes here sometimes. If she gets off in the afternoon, she naps on the couch till he closes the shop."

"Oh," said Kamio. "So it's just you and your uncle?"

"Most of the time. He's been dating Nara-san off and on for a few years, but it didn't get serious till recently. You can sit down."

Kamio had been staring at his walls as if he'd never seen diagrams and sketches before. Shinji frowned and moved to stare at the sheet that was apparently more interesting to Kamio than what he'd been saying. It was just a normal white sheet of paper with pencil lines, arrows, and a few notes to differentiate the speed and types of the lines. After a moment, Shinji sniffed and sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's just a scribble," Shinji muttered, a little resentful at the weird look Kamio shot him.

"A scribble of _what_?" asked Kamio. He looked from the sheet tacked on the wall above the desk, over to Shinji. "It almost looks like a tennis game…"

Shinji grumbled and looked away. Of course Kamio would find it weird. It was the first tennis game he'd played, right after switching out of the local chess club. He hadn't known anything about the game besides the rules, and he'd only been seven. How was he supposed to know he couldn't plot a perfect game just by studying the possible moves? It wasn't like he'd ever lost another match as badly as he had that first one. He'd spent a week on that stupid sketch, trying to figure out where he'd gone wrong. It was funny to think about and he liked that. There wasn't anything wrong with putting it on the wall where he could see it. He didn't care if Kamio thought it was weird. It was _his_ room and _his_ wall, and if Kamio didn't like that he could-

"Wow," Kamio said suddenly, diverting Shinji's attention away from his quietly muttered rant. "I'd kill for a system like this. I didn't know you liked music this much."

Shinji got up and moved to stand over Kamio. The redhead was crouched in front of his cd rack, one pale hand ghosting over his stereo in an almost worshipping way. Shinji smirked. He'd thought Kamio would like that.

"My dad brought the stereo when I joined the tennis club. I listen to almost anything, so my sister sends me whatever cds catch her eye. Some of it's really funny if you understand the lyrics. There's this one from the states about dogs that actually has people barking to the music, except it's not really about dogs – it's funny. It's in English, though."

Kamio sent him a funny look. "Your family lives in the states?"

"Usually," said Shinji. "They were in Kyoto last month, but usually my sister stays in the states. She was born there, so she doesn't like to travel that much. You'd like her, I think. She's always dancing around with her headphones up full bast. Probably be deaf by the time she's our age, though…"

Kamio was still giving him that funny look, like he wanted to say something that he knew would make him angry. Shinji frowned and folded his arms over his chest. "What? Say it or stop looking at me like that."

"Why do you live here?" Kamio blurted.

Shinji blinked and stared down at him. He hadn't thought how his living arrangement might appear to his teammates. Was it strange for him to have picked Japan? He'd never liked Germany, and his only relative there had four kids and a husband, none of whom spoke Japanese. There were some really good schools there, but he'd never visited long enough to learn the language. He'd been born here and he remembered it better than any other country they'd visited. So wasn't it normal to want to come back? Plus, he'd decided to stick with tennis, and Japanese schools had some really prominent tennis teams. He might have felt lost at first, but he was doing okay now.

"Do you mean _here_," Shinji said at last, "or here with my uncle? My dad offered to send me to a private school, but I get more freedom here. My uncle doesn't talk much, but he's okay. We don't bother each other."

Kamio continued to watch him, his eyes moving over Shinji's face as if he were looking for something. It was almost disturbing. Shinji turned away and went to unpack his school books. He hadn't gotten much of his homework done during lunch and since he was actually home early he supposed he could go ahead and complete it this time. He refused to leave more than three questions blank on tests, so handing in incomplete homework was the easiest way to keep his grades down.

"Shinji?"

He glanced back over his shoulder and was faintly surprised to find Kamio still looking at him. Some of the music his sister sent him bordered on bizarre, but he'd been sure there were others that would catch Kamio's eye. Did he not want to borrow things from him in particular, or was he too distracted to think about cds right now?

"I have problems with parents," Shinji said, as if in response to a question. Kamio looked confused, which told him that wasn't the issue the boy was distracted by. Shinji continued anyway.

"You didn't have to send Mori to apologize to me," he explained. "I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of your mom. It's really your own fault, though. I knew something like that would happen. That's why I didn't want to go in. But it's not something you have to apologize for. So you don't need to act weird or nice to make up for it. Just forget it."

Kamio still had that expression like he wanted to say something. Instead, he nodded silently and stopped staring at him. Shinji was glad because he didn't like it when he couldn't tell what Kamio was thinking. He was used to the redhead being blunt and to the point. Seeing him hold back something he wanted to say was a stark change from normal, and Shinji didn't like sudden changes.

"Are these any good?" asked Kamio, turning back to him with two cds.

"That's a funny one," Shinji said, with a nod to the British cd. "Their accents make it hard to understand, but the way they sound is funny. You'd probably like the other one, too. It's J-pop, but it's a new band. If they keep it up, they'll probably be big by next year."

"Easy on the eyes, too," Kamio nodded.

Shinji rolled his eyes and went over to pull a few more cds off the rack. "I should have figured you'd go straight for the girl-bands. You really do have a thing for redheads…"

Kamio grinned at his disgruntled expression. "Not every rumor Sakurai starts is made up. Redheads are more wild and fun. I should know, being one myself. What about you?"

Shinji shrugged. "You're the only redhead I know. If the girls are as noisy as you, I'll stick with brunettes."

"Sure. You're just afraid of girls in general, what with that bunch downstairs staking out your front door. I'm _so_ telling the guys you sneak down an alley to avoid getting ambushed by a bunch of fangirls on your way home."

Shinji leveled a calm stare at Kamio and made like he was about to return the new cd to its place on the rack. "I'll just keep these to myself, then."

"I was just kidding," Kamio protested. "Your dirty secret's safe with me."

"It should be," Shinji muttered, handing the cd back. "You went down the alley the same as I did."

"Forgot about that…"

**.-.  
TBC**

_Next part, the new team, Tachibana reflects on how much Shinji and Kamio have grown as players and teens._


	4. Tachibana, jealousy and other interests

_Author's Note:_ Short part here, more of a general 'team' part from Tachibana's pov, than anything. The next part will have more Kamio-Shinji interraction, hopefully a bit of fun fluff.

**Another Day**

_Part 4: Unrealized jealousy and other interests_

Kamio was singing again. For someone with a naturally loud and wild speaking tone, his singing voice was quite smooth and controlled. And it was cheerful. Even with the overly melodramatic lyrics, Tachibana could hear the grin their future vice captain was wearing. It was pleasant and cheerful and Tachibana was glad Mori had convinced Ann and Kamio to do another song. He really was glad they were having such a good time. He just wished they'd waited till he and Shinji finished their game. Every time one of them got on the karaoke machine, Shinji stopped in his tracks and watched till the song was done. What should have been a simple game of pool, considering Shinji seemed determined to clear the table on his first turn, had already dragged out for over an hour. At this rate Tachibana knew he'd spend the entire night losing, without ever having gotten a turn at the table.

Coming to the bowling alley had been his sister's idea. Ann had heard so much about the new team that she'd been looking for a chance to get to know them. And with the prospect of starting in official matches, finally, a celebration seemed in order. She'd convinced him there were enough activities at the bowling alley to interest everyone, and as the captain, it was his responsibility to do something with his team besides practicing tennis. Since she was younger, and far more outgoing, Tachibana had taken her word for it.

It wasn't like he hadn't done things, though, besides playing matches and organizing practice routines. He'd gone to Sakurai's house a few times when some of the guys got together to play cards on the weekend. He didn't particularly like playing cards, but he'd been invited and he'd gone and it had been fun. Those little meets had taught him a lot about the doubles players, particularly Uchimura and his amazingly good 'poker' face. And since Kamio rarely went to those, and Shinji never did, he'd treated the two to lunch quite often after practice. He admitted that he didn't have a history of being friendly, having been more of a loner than a team player at his former schools. But he thought he was doing a good job at being a leader. The team was already close-nit, so it wasn't as if they needed him to pull them together. If anything, they'd drawn him in. Still, it was nice to see them all together somewhere other than a tennis court.

Ishida and Sakurai were bowling, and it seemed they did that quite often because they both had gloves of their own. Uchimura kept switching from the arcade area to the bowling lanes, snagging turns off the two just for a change in pace. As far as Tachibana could tell, Mori was content just to egg his friends on, whether it was taunting Kamio back to the karaoke machine, or messing up Sakurai when it was his turn to bowl. He'd even gotten Shinji to sing earlier, though he'd refused a second go when Ann tried to con him into joining her and Kamio for a song. Tachibana had an idea Shinji hadn't refused because of Ann, so much as Ishida's loud remarks about needing an extra microphone so they could actually hear him. Shinji had a surprisingly good voice, but he sang as quietly as he mumbled, and he'd frowned the entire time. He looked much happier playing pool, at least when he wasn't distracted by the others singing just a few yards from the tables.

Still, even the distractions were sort of nice. Tachibana really didn't like losing at anything, and every time Shinji turned his attention back to the game, he sank whichever ball he was aiming for. The pauses gave him a chance to get rid of his irritated twitch. And it was interesting to see Shinji be so distracted without any of the telltale mumbling. He'd grumbled a little when they first came in, going on about his dislike of bowling and how he'd much rather celebrate by playing tennis, since that was what they were celebrating to begin with. But then he'd been taunted into singing and he hadn't said more than two words since. Despite that, the silence didn't feel unnatural or awkward. He didn't seem to be closing himself off so much as observing silently. And if his gleaming eyes said anything, he was enjoying it.

Tachibana had worried about that. He'd gotten to know the various hobbies and quirks the guys had, but the only thing Shinji seemed to enjoy was tennis. Everything else left him bored and distant, or distracted and grumbling about how much the distraction irritated him. They were playing a lot more tennis now, practicing with every free hour they could to prepare for the coming season. The mumbling was less frequent as a result, and the observing silence more common. It was nice, though, because now even when he was quiet he showed more emotion than he did when he was rambling. He'd changed a lot in the last few months and he seemed to be getting a handle on his habit. Part of that was getting out from under the old tennis team, but most of it seemed to be Kamio.

The two were closer now than they'd been when Tachibana first transferred to their school. He'd noticed the change soon after his little talk with Kamio. The two didn't argue at all in front of him, and he hadn't heard so much as a grumble from Shinji about whatever minor tiffs they had outside of practice. He'd walked with them a few times when he didn't go in early, so he knew they walked to school together. And they could actually function as a doubles pair on the court. That had surprised him. He'd thought about the possibility, but he hadn't really expected it to work. Kamio was all over the place, dominating the entire court, and Shinji was something of a control freak, glaring and grouching if he didn't put just the right spin on a return, even if he scored a point.

Tachibana had never quite gotten over the way Shinji had walked out on him the one time he'd played doubles with the boy. He knew it was his own fault for going after every ball regardless of where they fell. But Kamio and Shinji were the same way when they played. He'd seen it when he paired them against Uchimura and Mori. They couldn't seem to follow any of the formations he'd recommended to them, and yet somehow they managed not to bump into each other. At first he'd thought they were doing some pattern they'd made up on their own, but there was no consistency to it. That had put him off the idea of pairing them in actual matches, where the lack of a plan could be disastrous against a strong pair. But they were different when they played Sakurai and Ishida. There he could see the strategy, and it was excellent. They were still playing singles more than doubles, but with Shinji sealing Ishida and Kamio doing his own thing with the rest it just...worked. Clearly they'd planned an attack and stuck to the plan. If they could do that, they could do it with announced pairs in actual matches.

He still didn't expect to use them as a doubles pair unless they were planning to overwhelm a team by stacking the lineup. Kamio hadn't officially been placed in the role of vice captain, though the vote was unanimous, but he'd been more than happy to talk strategy. He was the one who'd suggested Shinji for their singles two slot. Tachibana had worried about competition between the two, considering they were rather evenly matched in a six game set. The only thing that determined who would win appeared to be their moods. If Kamio egged Shinji on enough, Shinji would beat him like he was standing still. The next day it would be the other way around. Tachibana really didn't know if they'd ever had a straight match. The practice sessions he'd watched seemed more like teasing and provoking for fun, than an actual competition between the two. He had to take Kamio's word that Shinji was the better player. He thought so, too, but he didn't really have many facts to base it on. It wasn't as if he'd ever played him seriously.

Since Shinji let slip that the freshmen knew who he was, Tachibana had watched for signs of it. If any of them were cowed by his proven skill, they didn't show it. Ishida was so confident he'd given him a run the first practice match they had. Shinji had commented to him that the others were showing off to gain his acknowledgment, which did explain why they played him without worrying about losing. That was good because it let him play stronger gradually, matching them, rather than overwhelming them when they were just getting started. He did miss having opponents at his own level, but there would be plenty of that once the official tournaments started. In the meantime, he kept his own skills in check and watched their growth. It still amazed him how much untapped potential they had.

Ishida worried him with his private practices, getting stronger without taking enough precautions. Tachibana still didn't know exactly how dangerous the move he was creating would be once he reached his maximum strength, but he had an idea it would be bad. It was already to the point where none of the freshmen could handle it, and even he had lost his racket more than once trying to return it. So far, Shinji was the only one who could seal him without endangering himself by trying to return the shot. That was all good and well when the doubles pair faced off with him and Kamio, but Sakurai was already working on a way around it. They were just so adaptive. Some of them, like Kamio and Uchimura, were focusing on the basics, speed and net play. Tachibana was certain the moment Kamio got strong enough to hold his speed without losing stamina, he'd start experimenting as well. They needed real matches for that, a variety of opponents instead of friends they knew everything about.

They'd definitely find that in the upcoming season. Tachibana was familiar with the top schools they'd be facing. He'd already begun thinking about possible line-ups and the sort of preparation they'd need. They had the element of surprise on their side, with Fudomine's relative anonymity. There were ways to take advantage of that...

"Tachibana-san..."

He looked around to find Shinji standing to the side of him. He was sure he'd been staring off into space for a while. The pool table was cleared and ready for the next players. He wondered how long Shinji had been trying to get his attention. It was amusing to be on the other side of things. Usually Shinji was the one spacing out until someone got around to snapping him out of it.

"Sorry," said Tachibana. "I was distracted."

Shinji took his pool stick from him so he could return it to the rack with the others. He shrugged at the karaoke setup, where Mori had conned Sakurai into doing a stint with him and Ann.

"They're very distracting," Shinji nodded. "Ann-chan has a pretty voice, though. I thought she just wanted to sing with Kamio, but she's letting everyone have a turn. As long as it's with her. I get that. I'd probably hog the mike, too, if it were me. Still, she should let Kamio go by himself once. He hums a lot, like when he's doing homework with his headphones on. He does it when he's practicing, sometimes, too. Then it's annoying, hearing bits when I'm trying to play, especially if we're doing doubles. I don't see how he does that. He had me try once, but he turned the volume up so high I couldn't hear anything else. It was distracting and it hurt my ears. He'll definitely be deaf by the time he graduates. I figured he'd be good at this, though. He said he'd be too embarrassed to sing, but I knew he wouldn't be once he started, especially since Ann-chan's singing with him. Kamio likes redheads, you know."

The last bit was given with a slow, sidelong, look at him. Tachibana blinked in surprise. Kamio was standing off to the side, grinning at Ann more than at his teammates. Tachibana wasn't sure if he liked the implications of that. It was great that his sister was getting along with his teammates. But she was way too young to be dating. That was something he wouldn't have to start worrying about for years. Right?

"Should I be worried?" he asked Shinji.

He'd intended it to come out like a joke, but he didn't quite succeed. Shinji frowned and seemed to seriously consider the question. Tachibana waved him off before he could reach a decision.

"I'm kidding. Anyway, do you want to bowl? If Ann catches us just standing here, she'll try to get us to sing. I don't know about you, but I'm not touching that microphone. Besides, I don't seem to be having much luck with pool tonight."

"That's my fault," said Shinji. "If I go first, I won't miss unless someone bumps me. I warned you that you wouldn't want to play with me. No one ever does. There's no point."

"Ah, I wasn't complaining," Tachibana said quickly. He had been, but he hadn't meant to. It was his own fault he'd thought Shinji was bluffing when he'd claimed he never lost, and that he'd quit playing because there was no point. "So. Bowling?"

"I don't want to," Shinji sulked, with a resentful look down the lanes where Ishida and Uchimura were playing.

"Why not?"

Shinji shrugged and scowled a little darker. Kamio had come over in time to hear the question. He smirked at Tachibana.

"He's afraid he'll hurt his wrist or hit someone with the ball," said Kamio. "So he won't play right. He says he uses his left hand and walks to the end of the lane instead of running up. To hear him tell it, it's really funny to watch."

"I don't think it's funny," Shinji scowled. "Other people do, but I don't. If I can line up a strike from a standstill, it shouldn't matter. I don't see why the computer reads the speed, anyway. You don't have to run and throw really hard to knock the pins down. It's really dangerous the way most people play. I've seen people have all sorts of accidents. The shoes have no traction at all, so they slip when they run up. The balls never fit right, so they can get stuck and wrench your wrist when you try to throw, or be so loose they fly off when you swing your arm back. My club leader got hit like that once. We actually _heard_ his leg crack. It was horrible. Bowling is much more dangerous than tennis. Even your teammates who aren't playing can get hurt. And you can't play so it's not dangerous, or people laugh and make fun, especially when you beat them playing that way. It doesn't even make sense. Everyone knows the less power you use, the more control you have. And you can line the throw up perfectly if you do it at the edge of the lane instead of doing it and then running up for the throw."

Kamio shook his head at Tachibana. "Now you see why Sakurai didn't bother asking Shinji to play. Even Ishida promised not to laugh if it looks as funny as it sounds, and he still won't do it. There's just no convincing him. One traumatic bowling accident and he swears off the game for life."

"If our leader had sat down a minute later than he did, I would have gotten hit instead of him," said Shinji. "It's not a joke. I didn't run away, either. I just found a way to play that won't hurt anyone. It's easy to play that way, though. That's why I don't want to. There are only two positions where I have trouble getting a spare, and most of the time I can get a strike on the first try. If there's no challenge, there's no point. I'm not scared, and I don't care if you guys laugh at me. If you want to laugh, you'll find something to laugh at no matter what I do. It's not about that. I just don't want to bowl."

Mori winced and sent a look at Kamio. "Why'd you get him started on _that_ again?"

"It wasn't me," said Kamio. "Tachibana-san asked him why he didn't want to play. Live and learn, Buchou," he grinned at Tachibana. "If Shinji says he doesn't want to do something, you can bet he has a very...uh...detailed...reason."

"I see," said Tachibana.

Kamio smirked and poked a glowering Shinji on the arm. "Race you?"

"What?" Shinji blinked. "Race me where? You know you're faster than me..."

"Wrong racing," said Mori. "He's talking about the cars in the arcade."

Shinji frowned when Kamio gave a quick nod. "Oh. I don't know how. I don't play games like that..."

"That just means you don't have a ready excuse not to," Kamio waved. "Come on, Shinji. I'll give you a five lap head start."

Shinji scowled and stalked after him. "Don't be so conceited," he grumbled. "There's no point competing if you give me a handicap. Just because you have experience and I've never played doesn't mean I won't pick it up within a few tries. I'm not a slow learner. Don't look down on me until you beat me."

"Sure, sure," laughed Kamio. "Like I'm really going to lose to someone who's never even stepped foot in an arcade. You're seriously sheltered for a teenager, Shinji. Neglected, even. We've got to get you a game station. I bet you've never even _heard_ of Dance Revolution."

"Dance what?"

"I knew it," sighed Kamio.

Mori shook his head after the two of them. Then he turned back to Tachibana. "So, you still want to bowl? The guys are about done with their game. We can grab the lane next to them when they start the next round."

Tachibana nodded and went over to get Ann. She jumped at the chance to see him bowl. It was one of the few sports where she was actually a better player than him. He was fairly sure that was one of the reasons she'd wanted him to take the team here - so she could knock him off his pedestal and make him look bad in front of the guys.

"I thought you were going to stick to the pool tables all night," she smirked. "Since you were having so much fun with the _tensai_, and all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Tachibana.

"Oh, nothing. Just that Shinji's your favorite. You talk about him so much I was sure you'd make him vice captain. Plus, you've been hogging him since the moment we got here. I was starting to think you'd never let him out of your sight." She paused in her teasing long enough to notice that Shinji was, as a matter of fact, out of sight. If anything, her smirk got wider. "Kamio stole him away, didn't he. I thought he would. He was annoyed earlier, when we couldn't get Shinji to sing with us. Something about Ishida being a stubborn jerk and Shinji being shy. Is he shy around you? Kamio says he mumbles a lot, but he barely said two words around me."

Ann was clearly trying to start trouble. Tachibana shrugged and changed the subject. "You didn't say anything to Kamio about the vice captain position, did you?"

Ann pouted and managed to look affronted. A little. "Of course not! We just talked about music, you, and his teammates. They're really just as close as you said, like a family. Kamio didn't say where he fit in, but Mori's like the peacekeeper - unless he's playing a prank with Uchimura and Sakurai. They're the troublemakers. Ishida's the straight-man they like to pick on the most, but Kamio says he's really protective, too. Shinji's the cute little brother, and you're their idol. I think Kamio's probably the spokesman. The most outgoing, you know?"

"The first time I saw them, Kamio was speaking for the group," said Tachibana. "They may have chosen me as their captain, but they go to him with their problems. He's the obvious choice for vice captain."

"He does have a really nice personality," Ann said agreeably. "And he's cute."

"Ann..."

"Shinji's cute, too. It's a shame Kamio says he's so nervous around girls."

_"Ann."_

"What?" she asked, with a bright smile.

"Don't even think about it," said Tachibana.

"Too late," Ann chirped. "Oh, look, Sakurai's in our lane. He's cute, too."

Tachibana sighed as his sister danced off ahead of him. She was definitely too young to be dating. The way she teased, no boy would ever know when to take her seriously. That would make his job as over-protective older brother nearly impossible. He didn't even want to think about it...

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_


End file.
